8 Ways to Prevent Heart Disease

Note on diet: Although eating a healthful, low-fat diet is not generally considered a separate preventive measure, cutting back on fat, particularly saturated fat, and eating foods that provide complex carbohydrates clearly plays a role in many of the listed measures, such as controlling cholesterol, blood pressure, and body weight.

In addition, there has been accumulating evidence that a high intake of antioxidant vitamins--particularly vitamin E--helps reduce the risk of CAD.

Monitoring Your Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is indicated by two numbers, each referring to how high in millimeters the pressure of the blood in your arteries can raise a column of mercury. The first number, the systolic pressure, represents the force of blood during a heartbeat. The second number, the diastolic, indicates the pressure between heartbeats. Blood pressure measurements for establishing hypertension now reflect equal emphasis on systolic and diastolic pressure, whereas previously only diastolic. Levels above 140/90 mm Hg are generally thought to require medical treatment, often beginning with the lifestyle measures given below.

Seven Steps to Control Blood Pressure

Lose weight if you are overweight--even a small drop in weight can lower blood pressure significantly. In some overweight people, a loss of as little as five to 10 pounds can make antihypertensive drugs unnecessary.

Limit your daily alcohol intake to less than two drinks daily.

Exercise regularly.

Don't smoke.

Keep your sodium intake under 2,400 milligrams per day (the amount in 6 grams of salt--a little more than a teaspoon).

Maintain an adequate dietary intake of potassium, calcium, magnesium, and dietary fiber, which may help prevent or lower high blood pressure.

Reduce your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, which can help you reduce weight and is beneficial for overall cardiovascular health.

Reprinted, courtesy of University of California Berkeley. For more articles and information, visit www.wellnessletter.com

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Frequently Asked Questions

ACTIVE Advantage is the premium membership program of ACTIVE, designed to support and encourage your active lifestyle by providing exclusive discounts on thousands of activities on ACTIVE. No matter what your passions are, it is our mission to make it cheaper and easier for you to pursue the activities you love.

The 30-day trial of the ACTIVE Advantage membership allows you to check out the program for yourself before starting a full annual membership. During this trial period you have full access to member benefits, including all ACTIVE registration discounts, access to free event entries, gear discounts and more. If you decide during the trial period that you don't want to continue the membership, just let us know. Otherwise, at the end of your 30 day trial we will extend your member benefits for a full year at the current annual membership fee.

If you sign up for the 30-day ACTIVE Advantage trial membership you'll receive full access to all member benefits during your trial period. When the 30 days of the trial are up, your benefits will automatically upgrade to the annual membership which currently costs $64.95 per year. That's less than $6 per month to enjoy the program all year round.

Members can receive discounts when registering for events on ACTIVE.com.

Simply follow the steps below to redeem your discount

Step 1: Find an event on ACTIVE and login. Use the ACTIVE directory to find an event. Click the login button in the upper right corner of the event details page. You will be re-directed to a login screen. After logging in, you will be sent back to the event details page.

Step 2: Click the "Register Now" button to sign up for the event. Complete all required registration fields and proceed to payment screen. When logged in as an Advantage member, your discount will automatically apply at the end of registration.

Step 3: Submit registration and receive discount. The discount amount will display in your shopping cart and will be deducted from your registration fees. The registration discount will vary and is excluded from some events. If the discount does not appear in your shopping cart, the event is not eligible.